Chapter 9: Protecting Her

Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye remembered all of Su Muyao's habits.

Having lived in Beast Emperor City since childhood and being the precious pearl of the Su family, she held a noble status and was highly sought after; consequently, she had been fond of cleanliness since she was young.

She required boiled water for a bath every single day.

As for them, they washed in the river every day they went out. Once their beast forms were washed, they would dry quickly under the sun.

While the two were boiling water inside the house, Wen Nanxi was in the courtyard peeling sweet potatoes. After peeling them, he went inside to get a knife, intending to dice them into small, fine pieces.

Looking at Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye in the room, he said, "Today is my turn to take care of our Wife."

The three of them took turns according to a schedule.

Hua Linye said with a hint of awkwardness, "We have eaten the food she made; we should do something in return." Otherwise, they would feel uneasy.

Xiao Jihan replied, "That is only right." No matter what, Su Muyao was, in name, their Wife. They couldn't have her busy working while they sat idly by.

Wen Nanxi explained, "We dug up a lot of sweet potatoes today. Wife wants to cut all of these into fine pieces."

Hua Linye said, "Let's help together; it will be faster."

Xiao Jihan also looked at Wen Nanxi, appearing ready to assist.

Wen Nanxi nodded, and with the three of them working together, the speed was rapid. A portion of the sliced sweet potatoes was placed into a pot filled with water and began to boil over a high flame.

Just as the potatoes had boiled until soft and mushy, Su Muyao finished washing up and entered the house. She saw Wen Nanxi boiling the sweet potatoes, while Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye were mashing the slices into a puree. Because they possessed supernatural abilities, they performed these tasks very quickly.

Su Muyao was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected that despite their dislike for her, they would still do their fair share of the work. *Doing work is good,* she thought.

Her eyes brightened as she walked up to the pot and said to Wen Nanxi, "This is fine. First, scoop these out and filter them."

With that, Su Muyao went to find clean gauze and a large wooden bucket. Following her instructions, Wen Nanxi scooped everything out and poured it in.

"It's a bit hot right now. Wait a moment for it to cool down before you squeeze the gauze."

Hearing this, Xiao Jihan moved his fingers, and a gust of frost enveloped the wooden bucket and the gauze. The temperature dropped instantly.

Su Muyao was stunned by this sight. She turned to look at Xiao Jihan with bright, shining eyes. She had almost forgotten that Xiao Jihan's ability was ice-based. This was a natural refrigerator!

She wanted to ask Xiao Jihan to help her build an ice cellar to store food, but fearing he might refuse, she bit her tongue and didn't speak. She turned her head away instead.

Xiao Jihan had been momentarily dazed by her bright gaze, thinking she was about to say something. But when she hesitated and her eyes dimmed before she turned away, his brow furrowed slightly. He lowered his voice and asked, "Does Wife need me to do something?"

Su Muyao was startled; she hadn't expected him to take the initiative to ask. His voice was still clear and cold, carrying a chilling aura, but it lacked the bone-piercing frostiness it had possessed when she first transmigrated yesterday.

Su Muyao turned to look at him with a puzzled expression. Seeing that his gaze was calm and devoid of extra emotion, she spoke: "Can you help me dig an ice cellar in the corner of the courtyard? That way, I can use it to store meat and other foods so they don't spoil easily. Otherwise, if we can't eat them, it's all a waste."

Having developed habits from the apocalypse, she disliked wasting ingredients.

Upon hearing this, not only did Xiao Jihan's expression shift, but even Hua Linye was surprised. *Doesn't she love wasting food?* she used to complain that the next day's food wasn't fresh or didn't taste right. During hot weather, she would eat food the day it was made and throw away anything left over.

Xiao Jihan composed himself and said softly, "Alright." He then went directly to the courtyard to begin constructing the ice cellar.

Su Muyao hadn't expected his execution to be so efficient.

Not wanting to be outdone, Hua Linye used his ability to set fire to the firewood. He possessed fire-based abilities. *This ability is also very useful,* Su Muyao thought. *It will be most effective in winter.* Of course, there was no need to strike flint to start the fire anymore.

As if a thought had struck her, Su Muyao's eyes sparkled. Her expression toward Hua Linye became somewhat more satisfied.

Hua Linye noticed her expression and realized her gaze was fixed solely on his fire ability, without even glancing at him. *Well, liking the fire ability is fine too,* he thought.

After teaching Wen Nanxi how to filter the sweet potato liquid, Su Muyao continued to boil the juice in the pot.

Hua Linye asked, "Wife, what is the next step?" He had already used his strength to grind the peeled and cut sweet potatoes into a mash.

Su Muyao explained, "First wash them, then filter them, and then squeeze out the starch water..."

She guided Hua Linye through the steps. "Let this starch water sit in a vat. Tomorrow morning, once the starch has settled at the bottom, pour out the water, leave the starch, and then add water again to filter it. That way, the starch will be finer..."

After two rounds of settling, the starch could be placed in gauze bags and left to dry in a ventilated area. Calculating the time, she would have sweet potato starch by tomorrow evening. Perhaps she could even make sweet potato vermicelli by tomorrow night.

Once the work was mostly done, Su Muyao used the boiled water to take a bath. Fortunately, her predecessor had been clean and had specifically commissioned her beast husbands to build a bathing room, complete with a stone-built tub.

Just as Su Muyao finished her bath, dressed, and was about to come out, she heard a commotion outside. Her expression changed, and she rushed out of the room.

At the doorway, she saw many monsters emerging. The male beastmen of the tribe were all in combat. *Are these mutated beasts?*

Su Muyao's pupils contracted when she saw them. They were even more bizarre than the mutated beasts she had seen during the day.

Wen Nanxi, Hua Linye, and Xiao Jihan were also fighting them. They were incredibly fast, and their abilities could transform into various weapons.

"Watch out!"

Xiao Jihan moved, and an ice blade formed by his ability pierced directly through the skull of one of the mutated beasts. This beast had just been about to attack her.

The blood flowing from these creatures was a strange, eerie black. Xiao Jihan immediately used his ice ability to freeze the black blood, lest it frighten her.

These mutated beasts seemed to be targeting her. Hua Linye's flames were also capable of incinerating them directly.

"Jie jie..." The cries of these mutated beasts were eerie and terrifying, accompanied by sharp, piercing shrieks.

Wen Nanxi moved with incredible speed, appearing almost as if he could teleport, killing the mutated beasts one by one. Soon, the male beastmen of the tribe worked together to kill all the invaders.

Wen Nanxi immediately rushed to Su Muyao's side, looking at her closely. "Is Wife alright?" He was worried she had been frightened.

However, Su Muyao's expression was calm; she did not look frightened at all.

Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye were moved by her composure. Previously, she would hide in her room at the mere sound of a mutated beast. If she saw one, she would go into a frenzy of fear, only able to tremble and hide. They hadn't expected her to come out.

Su Muyao was merely startled, not afraid. She shook her head. "I am fine."

She was simply thinking that until she regained her strength, she truly needed their protection. But she had promised a three-month period, so she had to increase her strength rapidly.